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Centre begins process of evicting Paswan kin from bungalow
The 12, Janpath bungalow has now been allotted to Union railway and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The central government on Wednesday initiated action to evict the family of former Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader, the late Ram Vilas Paswan, from their 12, Janpath bungalow, which has been with the family for more than three decades.
Over the past two days, two sitting members of Parliament who were former Union ministers in the Narendra Modi government — Etawah MP Ram Shankar Katheria and Balasore MP PC Sarangi — have also been made to vacate their bungalows.
This is part of the central government’s move to evict all former Union ministers who have overstayed at their official accommodations, and more action is likely in the coming days, a senior official at the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) who was aware of the development said.
Hours after a team of government officials along with police visited Paswan’s residence to execute the eviction order, items were being loaded on trucks parked at the bungalow. The directorate of estates (DoE) under the MoHUA issued eviction order on July 14 last year.
Paswan’s son Chirag Paswan, the LJP MP from Jamui, continued to keep the Type-VIII bungalow despite being allotted another accommodation at North Avenue. Officials said that the family was given adequate time to vacate the bungalow after Paswan’s death in October 2020. The bungalow has been allotted to railway and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
“We served them eviction notice in July last year and repeatedly asked them to vacate the bungalow. They were aware about today’s action,” the senior MoHUA official quoted above said.
Another ministry official said, “The family was allowed to retain the accommodation till November 2020. But as they didn’t vacate the property, eviction proceedings were initiated in January 2021. We have given them ample time to vacate the property.”
Last year, Paswan’s family installed a bust of Ram Vilas Paswan at the bungalow. A senior ministry official said, “They will have to take the bust with them. They have started moving items from the house. Till evening, five trucks had left the bungalow.”
Chirag Paswan didn’t respond to messages and calls.
The bungalow is also the LJP’s headquarters in Delhi. “Some officials have come, but we don’t know what’s happening,” said the office staff.
However, Paswan’s family is not alone in facing eviction. On March 28, Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Etawah Ram Shankar Katheria, who was the minister of state for education between 2014-2016, was made to vacate his 7, Moti Lal Nehru Marg bungalow as his term as chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes ended in 2020.
When contacted, Katheria said, “I don’t know about the eviction notice, but I have vacated the bungalow. I have shifted to another bungalow.”
Former minister of state for animal husbandry and micro, small and medium enterprises PC Sarangi, the BJP MP from Balasore in Odisha, who had resigned from the government ahead of the cabinet reshuffle last year, was made to vacate his official accommodation at 10 Pandit Pant Marg on March 29, an official said.
HT was unable to contact Sarangi.
According to the second MoHUA official, similar actions against other MPs and former ministers are likely to be taken in the days to come.
The DoE has issued an eviction notice to MP BJP and former education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ to vacate his 27, Safdarjung Road bungalow. “We will be taking action in the coming days,” the official said.
The Type-VIII bungalow, which was allotted to his father the late Madhavrao Scindia when he was a minister, was home to civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia until 2019.
The ministry had recently initiated action to get former Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav to vacate his 7, Tughlaq Road bungalow. The matter is currently being heard by the Supreme Court.
